


New bonds

by LadyMalinore



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Accidental Cuddling, Blood, Consensual Sex, Domestic Fluff, Dorks in Love, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Injury, Kissing, Light Angst, Neck Kissing, Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-04
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2020-09-27 00:30:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20398723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyMalinore/pseuds/LadyMalinore
Summary: A series of one shots focusing on Hordak and Entrapta learning about each other, and their attractions. Look for updated tags as more chapters come





	1. Getting to know your lab partner

**Author's Note:**

> My take on the previous lord and lady Dryl's fate and how Hordak, our big sky puppy nerd would try to comfort Entrapta. Let me know if you like it!

" Ohhhhh look at that, the clones are twitching, I wonder if they dream while growing.... and what they possibly even have to dream about!" 

Etrapta coos and squishes her face against the tempered tank glass while hanging upside down from the vents with her hair watching for any more movement from the clones. Hordak huffs quietly below at his workstation before looking up and fixing her with a stern glare before speaking. 

" You're suppose to be checking the power conduit for improper grounding..... focus on the task at hand princess!" 

His tone is sharper than he means for it to be and he winces internally when Entrapta bows her head before swinging down her mask and flipping with her hair to the next vent to begin her work. He's learned from their months of working together that her mask is much more than just a tool, she uses it to shut herself away from difficult social situations and disappointments. He opens his mouth to say something.... anything really to slightly lighten the mood but stops abruptly when something small and round on a short chain slips from Entrapta's pocket as she swings from the vents above. 

Hordak eyes the item suspiciously at first prodding it lightly with a talon while stealing quick glances above..... perhaps the princess has been secreting a small vile of poison, or downloaded hoard information for the rebellion?!....... his thoughts darken and he snatches the offending item up from his work bench, the rounded piece of metal has a prominent seam in the middle that he slips a claw into to pry open. It gives way surprisingly easily and he eyes the contents warily at first. 

Inside are two small painting, one of a woman with purple hair and the welding mask like Entrapta, but her eyes are blue. The other is a long haired Male with Entrapta's red eyes. After discerning this to be a personal token and nothing nefariius Hordak clears his throat loudly enough to get Entrapta's attention while hastily closing the locket. 

" I believe you dropped something." He holds out the locket trying his best not to look guilty for his inspection of the item. 

Entrapta swings down quietly with an unusually somber look on her face before sighing. 

" looks like you found mom and dad, thanks.... i... well... I'd hate to lose this.... there aren't exactly alot of portraits of them." 

She stands beside him and takes the locket from his hand, Hordak tries not to blush at the tingling sensation the touch of her fingers on his palm causes and concentrates on not moving his ears. He's curious to know more, but also knows this could be a dangerous subject to broach..... what if the hoard had a hand in their demise ..... 

" I still use her visor, after the explosion it was found in perfect condition and if it was strong enough to withstand that it can probably live through anything!" 

His curiosity gets the better of him and he blurts out quickly ...." what happened to them?" 

The minute it leaves his mouth Hordak has to.supress a growl and grits his teeth...... why in the cold dark void of space had he asked that ........ his annoyance with himself is so great his ears flick back hard and his eyes narrow. 

" oooohhhh good question! Everyone else just puts on a long face and no one bothers to ask! You see father was never very into science, he ran the day to day affairs while mother concentrated in the lab on developing robots for defense of Dryl...... she didn't have a lab partner to work with" 

Entrapta giggles and let's her hand brush down Hordak's arm before continuing. 

" anyway mother was working on some new energy shield and it somehow backfired taking down most of the origina castle, which is why I rebuilt it! Unfortunately father was in the wing that blew, luckily I and my robot nanny were on the opposite side of the castle!" 

Hordak's eyes widen slightly as she sighs wistfully, " it would have been nice to know her.... I'm sure we could have made such discoveries together..... but hey.... are least she died in the name of science!" 

Entrapta shrugs and chuckles slightly " after that no one really wanted to come work in the castle so we mainly has a skeleton crew, so as I got older I built staff, who needs people! They end up just not understanding anyway." 

Entrapta's eyes are downcast and she moves to flip her visor down again while backing up, Hordak stills her hand before she can do so and clears his throat. 

" you will not have to worry about that...... we .. I....um.... work together well and can keep things from getting volatile....um.... to-together....." he finishes weakly and gestures between them 

" I... I take having a competent lab assist-...er... partner seriously.... you are not expendable to me." 

Entrapta's face lights up and she squeals loudly in delight while tendrils of her hair brush excitedly around his shoulders and neck dragging him down to her level. He winces as she pulls her face extremely close to his before speaking in a high excited tone. 

" thanks partner!! I like you too!" 

Hordak grimaces and starts to brush the annoying woman away, but finds that he rather likes having her close if only forbade moment...... without thinking he snags her by the waist and sits her gingerly on his work bench so they can be closer, Entrapta gasps at the sudden contact and leans forward to brush her lips against his and is suprised when he not only returns the kiss but also cups her face lightly in his hands.

They had both agreed weeks ago to begin initiating physical contact when they felt the need.... purely for science..... they were cataloging and documenting the effects of physical displays on work performance. However up to this point it had mainly been Entrapta initiating contact.... not him. 

Hordak breaks the kiss and swiftly moves his mouth to her neck and begins lightly nibbling the area while pulling her back into his arms. He stills momentarily when he feels her arms encircle his neck and begin to tease her fingers through his sensitive hair. His ears shoot forward and burn blue as Entrapta moves forward suddenly and kisses at his neck just above the pulse point. 

He groans and bows his head to give her better purchase on his skin, tendrils of her hair hold his jaw and shoulders to ensure he is rooted to the spot. His claws trace harmlessly down her back causing goosebumps as he enjoys her ministrations. 

Entrapta is the first to break their contact blushing a bit when she realizes how closely their bodies are crushed together. His red eyes bore into hers as she smiles softly before snorting

" whelp..... better get back to work..... I need to finish replacing all those uninsulated wires you have all over the place!" Swiftly her hair snakes onto a vent pipe and hoists her back towards the ceiling. 

Hordak for his part simply watches the graceful princess of science as she works no longer trying to conceal his soft smile as he thinks to himself just how nice it is to finally have a lab partner around. His eyes cast downward back to his workstation and for the rest of the day his mood is much improved and the work day produces great results.... it seems their experiment is proving to be a success.


	2. Interruptions and discoveries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Entrapta learns some fascinating facts about Hordak who in turn is becoming more comfortable with her

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come find me on tumblr under LadyMalinore I do take suggestions and writing prompts for one shots.

The lab is filled with the quiet sounds of two people working the clink of tools, the beeping of various monitors, the rush of fluid through the cloning tanks, and the hiss of Entrapta's soldering wires together on one of the portal's new pieces she was manufacturing. 

Since her arrival Hordak had found himself adapting to the small princesses presence far more than he thought possible. He tried telling himself it was simply due to her effectiveness in expediting his work, but somehow ..... as his eyes stayed fix on her backside while she bent over furthur on her tippy toes to inspect some neuron sensors more closely he got the sinking feeling that was not the case. 

A sudden screech from the science princess accompanied by more cursing that he thought Entrapta had in her vocabulary broke Hordak's train of thought. His gaze narrowed and his ears perked forward as he strode quickly over to pull Entrapta out of the piece of machinery she had been working on. 

"I'm fine just give me a minute!" Her high voice, unusually annoyed rang out as she inspected her singed work glove. 

What caught Hordak's attention was not the glove, but the scent on the air, the warlord was quite familiar with its metallic tang. His teeth gritted to hold back an annoyed snarl as he gently took her hand in his. 

" you are bleeding Entrapta, we should see to this quickly so our work may resume." He hoped the stern tone would not belay the worry for her that he was feeling.

His ears twitch forward a bit as his gaze fixed on the rapidly staining surface of the glove, he deftly tugged it off wincing at her intake of air as he did so. 

It appeared that one of metal ports she had been tinkering had imperfections in it and had shattered while she soldiered into several sharp slivers now embedded in her hand. 

Entrapta sighs," Looks like I might need thicker gloves...." she abruptly stops and watches Hordak as he deftly uses his talons to quickly pull the metal shards from her hand and apply compression bandages. His eyes are wide, his ears rigidly facing forward and his mouth set in a grim line as he works quickly. 

He frowns as his eyes study the last piece, most of the shards were more like small needles, causing little damage and minimal bleeding which the medical kit in the lab had handled easily. This one was larger and closer to the meat of her palm.

Hordak's eyes narrow as he twist her hand regarding the piece, he could send her to the medical bay but does not trust the bumbling fools to not damage her dexterity.....and that would compromise her effectiveness. Instead he readies a large compression bandage and pulls the metal out. 

Entrapta gasps as blood begins to drip down her wrist, apparently a vessel must have been nicked. She begins to try and dress the wound herself, but Hordak is quicker and stops her efforts. 

SHIT..... he swears mentally to himself as the wound wells up with blood that flows far to freely for his liking. Just how much blood cant an Etherian lose before sustaining real damage?! Deftly he drags a talon across his own palm to open a small gash and slaps it down on Entrapta's. 

"HORDAK ..... what are you doing?!" Her eyes go round as she watches him, he slowly peels his wounded palm off her own and she watches in fascination as his blood appears to mingle and somehow staunch her wound. 

He eyes her nervously before responding, afraid he has either crossed a boundary or disgusted her. 

" Apologies..... I didnt want to possibly compromise your hand dexterity with stitches..... my kind has a natural coagulant in our.blood, when it mixes with oxygen or nitrogen the compound activates." 

Entrapta's moth is a perfect "o" and she has switched on her recorder, " ohhhhh fascinating! Thanks lab partner!!! Its hardly even hurting now!" 

Hordak snorts and still wraps both of their palms with a bandage " Yes well.... it....it is a....a.... a useful trait for a species that endures so much combat." 

He finds himself trailing off as Entrapta scoots closer, her face inches from his. Its all he can do not to reach out and kiss her, suddenly one of Entrapta's hair tendrils pushes him forward gently and her lips capture his. 

Hordak blushes a bright purple but finds his arms quickly encircling her narrow waist to crush their bodies even closer. He growls softly when her kiss deepens and Entrapta captures his bottom lip in her teeth. 

The door to the sanctum hisses loudly as it opens yielding a cheerful Scorpia holding a large tray with several ration bars, fizzy drinks, and small cupcakes. 

Hey guys just wanted to bring you some.....Oh... ohhhhh .....OHHHH AHHHH S-sorry just dropping off lunch!" She salutes the hoard leader, who by this time has leapt away from a very breathless giggling Entrpta, his complexion resembles a blueberry with ears pinned back. 

As Scorpia's form retreats Hordak puts his face in his palm. Entrapta giggles and wraps his waist in her tendrils of hair as soon as the door closes pulling him back to her. 

" Now where were we before being so rudely interrupted.....I believe I'm much more interested in this than any tiny food or fizzy drinks." 

Her hands gently touch either side of his face and slowly rise to brush his ears before tangling in his hair. Her kiss muffles the gasp of pleasure he emits when her hands touch his ears. 

His hips buck into her involuntarily as they resume close contact, he groans as he deftly picks her up and heads toward the inner sanctum where they can properly explore each other. 

As he is about to enter, the outer door of the sanctum opens again, he curses loudly as Entrapta swings away toward the air vents and whirls with a snarl on his face at the interruption. 

"WHAT IN THE VOID DO YOU WANT!" 

The reptilian grunt begins to panick and throws his hands up in supplication, " A-apologies my lord. ..... force captain Catra has returned from her mission and requests a debriefing in the throne room." 

With that the reptilian bows low and sprints from the room. 

Hordak calls after the retreating form, " the next person foolish enough to enter my sanctum without proper protical being observed will be on a transport to beast island within the hour!" 

Fists clenched he eyes the door menacingly before looking upwards for Entrapta. She swings from the vents and laughs while kissing his face. Their embrace deepens once again and he feels himself relax into her hold once she rights herself on the ground. 

Hordak inches towards the inner sanctum again only to have a very excited Imp and beeping Emily come running into the sanctum. Annoyed beyond all means of composure he roars in anger and throws his claws in the air before purposefully striding towards the door himself. 

Entrapta sighs and rolls her eyes as she hoists herself into the vents to follow him.to the throne room. She can't help but find the interruptions a bit hilarious and finds Hordak's response to social stimuli interesting. Plus she knows he will make it up too her tonight.


	3. Circuit overloads

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A power outage due to adding first one's tech to the fright zone power grid leads to some fun lessons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning smut ahead! As always drop a comment to let me know what you think.

Entrapta is not a quiet woman on a good day, let alone when she is excited about anything. Hordak has come to expect her loud outbursts followed by wildly swinging through the lab, often colliding with things. Today is no exception as she bursts into his sanctum waving her hands and hair. 

" Hordak! You'll never guess what Catra, Scorpia, and I found!" 

Hordak's ears twitch forward in curiosity as he tries desperately to keep his neutral expression. It wouldn't do for her to realize just how much he had missed and worried for her while she'd been gone. 

" I trust you had a safe and fruitful trip princess?" His brow quirks as Scorpia struggles to roll a giant silver object into the sanctum towards an excited Entrapta. 

Gesturing wildly with her hand Entrapta wraps her hair around the sphere and swings it around before speaking. " ohhhh yes it was so much fun finding first one's tech, battling the killer worms, oh.... and fighting the rebellion too!" 

Hordak growls and eyes Scorpia harshly with a brow raised, none of those details had been in Force Captain Catra's report. Scorpia for her part looks anywhere but at Hordak and makes a hasty retreat out of the lab. 

Sighing Hordak once again turns his full attention back to Entrapta who is babbling excitedly again. He tries to focus on what she is saying. 

" and we can finally increase the power grid by 200% with this piece of tech!" Her hair frizzles as she thinks of the possibilities before swinging up into the power grid to begin the necessary changes to accommodate the first one's tech. 

Hordak chuckles darkly and shakes his head at her exuberance, enthusiasm was something she had in spades, and he found himself drawn to her positive energy. He frowns at the thought of the princesses getting their hands on her technical genius again and makes a mental note to try and limit her from directly participating in future excursions without him. 

The sound of electricity sizzling breaks his train of thought as he narrows his eyes upwards. The lights have begin to flicker and suddenly the lab is plunged into total darkness. His eyes widen and he looks upwards with ears tilted forward to find Entrapta. 

Hordak's eyes are truthfully made for the darkness, so he has no trouble spotting Entrapta attempting to swing down to the ground level with her hair tendrils and hands gesturing wildly for anything to get purchase on. Swiftly he moves to her side as she touches the ground. 

" Hordak, did you know your eyes glow in the dark! I used them to calculate my distance from the ground..its fashhhhhingtingggg...." she is cut off by his lips brush against hers before he gently clasps her hand and leads her safely to the control panel on the far wall. 

For him, thanks to the bioluminescent film covering his eyes the room is dark, but posses no challenge to his senses. The flashlight Entrapta produces to look at the panel and then whirls around accidentally shining it into his eyes is a different matter. 

Hordak roars in pain and swats the offending item from her grasp, its light goes out as it connects to something with a loud thud. Entrapta gasps and covers her mouth. 

" ohhhh, Hordak! Are you ok??? I didn't know you were still standing there! " her hands gently grasp outwards struggling to find him then cup his chin and she lifts onto her hair to apologetically kiss his cheek. 

Hordak hisses and has to take a deep breath to keep his temper in check. 

" Just see to getting the final connections in place, we need to get back to work " he grumbles and Hopes she won't notice one little detail, he's blind..... at least for a good 15 minutes anyway. After a direct assault from the flashlight his eyes will need time to adjust, effectively his night vision must reset. 

Entrapta nods " Your right guide me to the access panel on the far side of the sanctum and I can make the finishing touches!" 

Hordak stays silent a moment before sighing in defeat, remembering he crushed her light in anger. Slowly he resigns himself to the questioning he knows will come before speaking. 

" Thanks to your light show I won't have night vision restored for at least another few minutes, IF and only IF you are quiet .... I do have another way to get us to the proper area quickly. " 

Taking her silence as agreement Hordak pulls her against his chest and let's out a few quick chips his ears twitching as the sound returns quickly measuring. 

He repeats this process 3 times as he progresses across this little used portion of the sanctum and is relieved when they reach the access panel.

Entrapta grabs the light stored beside the box and quickly gets to work remedying the situation. Laughing triumphantly when the light come back on signaling the completion of integrating the power grid and first ones tech. 

Hordak rolls his eyes at her exhuberance turning to head back to his workstation and winces when Entrapta's tendrils encircle his arms to stall him. 

" Whoa whoa whoa, you don't honestly think I'll let you go back to work without an explanation!" She crosses her arms across her chest and cocks her head to the side.

Hordak huffs and shrugs, " My race has excellent night vision...... unless its attacked..... and we can echo locate, my kind evolved from night predators and some traits are still quite viable." 

He shrugs and waves a hand dismissively but is cut off by Entrapta reaching up to kiss him excitedly. He suppresses a shiver as she takes off her work glove and runs her index finger and thumb down his pointed ear gently inspecting.

" Fascinating! So you can literally find your way in the dark..... how different and neat and special!" She coos excitedly before letting her hair wrap about his wrist as she tugs him towards the inner sanctum. 

Hordak humors her, dazed from the direct contact of her hand to one of his most sensitive places on his body and follows. Once within the chamber Entrapta loops fabric across his eyes and laughs a bit. 

Hordak tries to conceal his blush but makes no move to stop her, he is too curious about what in the seven hells she is up to. 

" Oookay, I'm going to turn out the lights, try to find me!" She demands. 

Hordak rolls his eyes and hisses " This is stupid " he makes a move to take off the blindfold but Entrapta's hair halts his movements. 

" Play along and I'll make it up to you" she practically sings and laughs darkly.

Hordak bites his lip, considering a moment and then nods slowly. 

He can hear rustling as she quickly finds a place to hide. He let's out the first chip and twitches an ear to listen. Frowning he lets out another chirp, then grins wickedly once he realized why the input was off. 

Entrapta was moving, the devious minx thought to outsmart him by becoming a moving target. His lips bared into a playful snarl as he chirped once more, then pounced grabbing her by the waist. 

Entrapta shrieks in suprised and begins laughing as he throws her gently upon the bed, pulling his blindfold off in one swift motion. A large smirk plastered on his face. 

He raises an eyebrow " I believe I was promised a reward?" He deadpans looking down at her curiously. 

Entrapta blushes and nods biting her lip playfully as she begins to slide her outfit off. 

Hordak's nose twitches as he catches the scent of her arousal, it takes him an impressive amount of willpower to not give into his predator instincts to throw her back to take what he wants. But from previous encounters he knows she prefers to take the lead. 

Slowly Entrapta reclines back on the pillows and opens her legs while biting her lip. Her hair waves him forward and Hordak wastes no time joining her on the bed, his grin feral as he opens his mouth to taste her core. 

She groans as his exceptionally long and dexterous tongue slides up her opening then delves into her center rhythmiclly. Hordak smirks against her flesh and reaches to rub her clit with his hand, mindful to retract his talons first., never slowing with his mouth. As her first orgasim shudders through her a strange protectiveness steals over him. 

Entrapta's hair pulls him forward and guides him to lay back in the spot she previously occupied on the bed. Hordak grits his teeth to keep his hips still as her hair begins pumping his phallus. He groans as her movements, she's still toying with him as she climbs on top of him. 

It is a silent understanding between them that Hordak does not like to fully disrobe, he is not proud of his defective body, so she moves the lower portion aside and mouths his erection. 

Hordak shouts and squeezes his eyes shut, he has to concentrate again on keeping his primal urges at bay. It would be so easy to push her face down in the mattress, supporting her hips with his hands and rut to completion. 

As if sensing his struggle Entrapta wraps her hair around his arms and legs spreading each limb wide and pulling tight, effectively immobilizing him. 

Her mouth increases speed and her hands pump what she cannot fit in her mouth as she listens to his cries of pleasure. Soon he shudders and she drinks him down, grinning at the relaxed look he now has. 

He slumps back into the bed, and takes a deep breath as she loosens her hold on his limbs. Hordak gestures with his talons for her to join him on the bed, but Entrapta's eyes glint mischievously as her hair reached for the light switch for both inner and outer sanctum. 

" Hordak.... let's put your hunting skills to the test....." she flips the blindfold at him once more as he regards her with wide eyes. 

Slowly she backs out of the darkened quarters and dissapeared, Hordak smirks as he deftly locks the outer sanctum doors and dons the blindfold. 

" Ready or not here I come princess" ... his voice is gravelly and low with want, his feral biology screaming for the hunt.


	4. Dryl Excursion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Entrapta returns to Dryl to retrieve first ones teach buried in the mines, and manages to make Hordak take a much needed break from his lab.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments make me write faster! Sorry for the long delay between chapters, this one is extra long to make up for it.

“No!”

Hordak’s voice rang out sharp and loud, his arms are folded across his chest, red eyes narrowed, and lips set in a firm grim line. Everything about his body language shows how off-putting her idea is and clearly, he is trying to intimidate Entrapta into giving up, but even he knows it is an effort in futility. However, Hordak is known for his stubborn streaks. 

Entrapta huffs and rolls her eyes, it’s cute when Hordak gets protective, and she tries to allow him his dramatic moments, but when it gets in the way of science she cannot be as indulgent with him.

“You said I am an ally, I have pledged the kingdom of Dryl to the Hoard, allowed your forces to occupy my lands and we tithe resources to you monthly. You have also promised that I am not a prisoner, now is the time to prove it Hordak!” Her voice is unusually sharp, almost challenging. 

She shakes her head disapprovingly and frowns before continuing “My head miner has alerted me to the presence of first one’s tech discovered in the mines and I will not stand by and let it possibly be destroyed. Elton has a knack for this, he would not waste my time.”

Her hair frizzes out annoyed as she points an accusatory finger in his face while she hangs upside down from the pipes trying her best to glare back at him. On cue Imp appears fluttering to Hordak’s shoulder eyeing Entrapta. He opens his mouth and Hordak’s voice comes floating out from weeks before. 

“You are free to go anywhere and use any resource you like Entrapta, you are not a prisoner here in the Fright Zone.” Imp closes his mouth abruptly as Hordak angrily shrugs his shoulder to dislodge the little traitor. Unruffled Imp hisses, narrows his yellow eyes and flies up to a vitrine tank where he smiles smugly and settles in. 

Hordak narrows his eyes and abruptly turns to his workbench, annoyed that the little spy has grown so attached to Entrapta that he would aid her. He sighs as she refuses to be ignored, watching her swing forward to sit beside him on the workbench eyeing him pointedly trying to force the issue. He grits his teeth and tries hard not to bend the six-sided hex driver in his grasp.

He is loath to admit it, but the idea of her leaving the Fright Zone is highly unpleasant to him. He has reasoned with himself that it is only the dip in productivity that causes him to care about her absence. Letting her leave to retrieve the tech buried in the frozen wastelands had tried his patience to no end, and it had been a sheer battle of wills not to key up his communicator frequently to check on her, well her progress he meant, certainly he had not been worried about her general well-being! He growls at the train of thought realizing it is not helping him now. 

If she must go to Dryl then there is no help for it, he will just have to accompany her. The fool Catra has proven that even with Scorpia to aid her that she cannot keep Entrapta safe from the rebel forces. Their last mission with Entrapta has shown him that much. He growls at the thought of the princess alliance getting their hands back on her genius brain. Shaking his head to clear those thoughts he silently regards the woman beside him. 

She is persistent if nothing else, and Hordak huffs, he cannot very well deny what he has said in the past without lying, and Hordak is many things but a liar is not one of them, unfortunately, she is right. His hands curl into fists at his side as he bows his head in defeat, ears twitching in annoyance.

“Very well, you, we may go to Dryl ….. it will only be for a few days to investigate the mines, but we cannot tarry long, there is still much to be done to develop a working portal!” He clasps his hands behind his back, drawing himself to his full height, watching her carefully as he speaks. Somewhat afraid he will find her displeased at the thought of being seen in public with him, especially in her own kingdom. 

Entrapta lets out an ear-piercing squeal and wraps her arms around Hordak, who winces at the level of her voice before smiling at the close contact. He wraps an arm around her and looks skyward at Imp, narrowing his eyes to communicate that he is still annoyed with the little traitor. 

Said traitor sticks out his tongue and simply gives a noticeable wink to Emily who beeps quietly in the background. Trying her best to fade between two vitrine tanks to avoid detection. Hordak has little time to think about their alliance, or the bots alarming intelligence, before Entrapta’s voice, shrill with excitement assaults his sensitive ears.

“WE?! As in together???? Oh yaaaaaayyyy how exciting, this is going to be so much fun!” she stops jumping up and down looking around practically in a panic, “ OHHHHH I have SO MUCH to pack! Emily, gather my tools, quickly, I need your help afterwards finding my data charts!” 

As an afterthought she calls over her shoulder to Hordak, “Don’t forget to pack your swimsuit! OH, and sunscreen, OH, maybe sunglasses, I don’t think you have been out to Dryl, it’s pretty bright in the mountains!” She squeals jumping and wrapping her hair around the air vents before disappearing entirely. 

Hordak groans slumping at the work bench head in his hand, swimsuits, sunglasses, what in the dark void did that woman think they would be doing?! To be honest he had no idea what this, this swimsuit even was or what possible function it held. However, he did have some protective goggles in here somewhere. 

He growls and motions for imp to come down to him, he must send word to the force captains that they are to assemble quickly in the throne room for a briefing. There is much work to be done before they can leave and little time to do it in. 

*********************  
The journey to Dryl is proving to be a long and tiresome one, he had carefully chosen which troops to bring and even allowed the two Force Captains that Entrapta seemed to prefer to come along. This decision is beginning to prove itself foolish on his part. Hordak has forgotten just how loud Scorpia can be. 

If he must bear another round of Scorpia’s ridiculous game of “eye spy” Hordak fears he will lose his sanity. She and Entrapta have been playing the blasted game for over an hour, and he must agree with Catra’s assessment of the situation, who’s ears are pinned downward, tail swooshing as she tries to block out their sounds.

He sighs in relief when one of the scouts calls out that the gates of Dryl have appeared. Entrapta stands beside him excitedly waving at the guards opening the massive metal doors, Hordak’s brow raises as he regards her kingdom. 

Not only is the location of Dryl naturally quite defensible, but it can clearly shut itself away with little need of the outside world for large periods of time. His initial reports from the occupying troops were quite clear that it would have taken considerable effort to take the kingdom by force. 

The resources Entrapta’s people send the Hoard are quite valuable as well, from rare alpine medicines, to the precious metals and stones they mine, he is amazed that the foolish rebels had not taken better care to keep her on their side. There is much to be gained from Dryl and its talented princess. 

As he recalls their conversation, and her emotional response on the topic his talons clench and unclench as he is seized by the sudden urge to touch her shoulder, but knows there are too many eyes watching. It will not due to give anyone a clue just how much he favors the woman. 

He settles instead for watching her face light up as they begin exiting the vehicles and walking into the courtyard with his troops. He shifts his face into a neutral position as they are ushered into the castle itself and looks quizzically at the servants handing out maps to each of his troops, surely finding the barracks would not be that complicated.

Hordak idly grabs one of the maps and stops abruptly, eyeing the piece of paper. He huffs in amusement, after studying the document he rolls his eyes. It appears that getting anywhere in this castle without a map could potentially prove impossible or even fatal as he spots clearly marked hidden traps. Again, Hordak finds himself amazed by her genius, this castle was built for wearing the enemy down in a siege. 

The troops are breaking into groups guided by Scorpia and Catra who are ushering them towards the dining hall for supper. No small task given the crypto castles many corridors and traps, the two force captains squint and try to follow along with the map. 

Entrapta gleefully smacks Hordak on the shoulder as she passes by catching up to converse with Scorpia, “Ohhhh just wait until you get a chance to try the tiny cupcakes!!! They are soooooo much better than those icky brow ration bars…… oh oh! And you’re going to LOVE the roasted chicken pasta that the kitchens have prepared for you guys! 

Scorpia’s face lights up as she heads towards the dining room practically carrying Catra who is doing her best to look unaffected at the chance to eat something other than the normal fair of gray and brown rations bars that are standard issue, the only thing giving away her excitement is her felid ears perking forward and her nose sniffing the air delicately. 

As Hordak takes a seat beside Entrapta at the officers table he almost laughs at the sight in front of him. Scorpia is wolfing down food as quickly as she can, and even Catra is finishing her second plate. As the servants bring out dessert Scorpia Squeals while pressing her large claws to the sides of her face. 

“Entrapta! I volunteer to guard your kingdom anytime you need it!!!!! Man, I REALLY hope we get to come here and retrieve tech more often, the food is to die for!” She jostles Catra beside her who rolls her eyes and stays silent, but keeps eating as well. 

Entrapta nods and smiles easily as she takes a bite from a small chocolate cupcake with painfully bright pastel pink icing, humming to herself as she savors the taste. Her eyes slide over to Hordak who has pushed the treats far away from his plate, eyeing them distastefully, they are not something he indulges in. He instead elects to spear another piece of the roasted chicken, chewing slowly savoring its taste, and finds himself silently agreeing with Scorpia’s opinion of the food. 

After another half hour passes most of the troops have moved past dinner and are clearly finishing dessert. Entrapta clears her throat to get Hordak’s attention. When he looks up at her she pointedly catches his eye and rolls hers towards the doors of the main hall hoping he understands her nonverbal cues. 

Hordak nods silently and clears his throat, “Force Captains, I believe it is time for you to escort your troops to the barracks, we will meet after the morning meal in the castle courtyard.” He flicks his hand to dismiss the two and stays seated quietly watching Entrapta. 

“Don’t forget your maps!” She calls after Scoprpia and Catra who both hold their copies up dutifully as they lead troops from the hall. Entrapta smiles as she hears Catra cursing at the map trying to decipher which way is north while Scorpia gently takes her map and turns it right side up before plopping a meaty claw around her friends’ shoulders as they disappear around the corner. 

A small deliberate cough gets Entrapta’s attention, she glances back to Hordak who has risen from the table to stand beside her in the empty mess hall. He is standing tall and rigid with his hands clasped behind his back. Red eyes narrowed slightly as he regards her trying and failing to keep his nerves at bay. 

“If you would give me the map to my room, I will retire for the night princess.” His face is neutral and even his ears are giving nothing away as he patiently waits for a copy of the formidable crypto castle map. He knows there are servant eyes everywhere, and is careful not to show any affection or movements that would give away any indication of such. 

Entrapta smiles coyly and wraps a tendril of hair around his shoulders, “I’ve made sure you have the best rooms in the castle…….” Some the tendrils of her hair twitch and writhe as if mimicking nervous hands, she seems to need a minute to collect her thoughts before continuing, “It’s my rooms of course.”

Hordak’s eyes widen as she speaks, true they have been sharing his quarters for more than a month, but she still keeps her room down the hall outside the sanctum for appearances. If he stays with her in the castle, there is little chance the servants will not discover this. His eyes narrow into angry slits as he considers the implications. 

His long ears pin back sharply as he imagines what they will say about their mistress, what jokes they might make about the beast she keeps company with. He finds this thought unpleasant as he remembers many of the servants eyeing him with fear and obvious disgust as they served food. He does not wish to tarnish the reputation of the woman before him nor make her an item to mock. 

As if sensing his self-depreciating thoughts Entrapta steps closer and wraps her arms gently around Hordak’s waist. She smiles as his hand comes to rest hesitantly on the small of her back, they stand together a moment just enjoying the feel of one another. Entrapta is the first to break away, she takes his hand gently in her hair and purposefully leads the way towards her suite. 

Hordak’s eyes widen again as he begins to protest, he tries to tell her it isn’t worth the risk of being spotted together like this. Wants to tell her that its dangerous to be seen close to him, that she could be used to get to him if anyone truly guesses how much she means to him, but this he cannot get past his lips, it’s far too embarrassing. Clones were not designed to care for anything but their leader and the mission at hand. 

Looking into her large crimson eyes and taking in her determined expression he does the only thing that he really can. He nods and allows her to lead him toward her private rooms. Silently hoping that none of her staff work for the rebellion. Mentally he makes a note to have the staff checked over for any sign of security breach at a later date. 

Hordak quickly loses track of all the twists and turns they make as he watches the small woman move animatedly in front of him, clearly happy to be in his company. He almost misses what she is saying but catches the last bit as his ears perk up. 

“I had a swimsuit made for you, hope you don’t mind, I figured you would forget to pack yours if you even have one!” Entrapta laughs as she pushes the door to her private chambers open and steps over the threshold, dragging Hordak by the arm with a tendril of her hair. 

The set of rooms are large, one could even say cavernous, and surprisingly well lit. Once they get past the narrow entry, he notices several large doors to the left, and right. The lab is front and center of course, but there is at least what looks to be a small library and several plush chairs near the fireplace tucked away in the corner of the main room with a large braided rug that gives the whole area a more comfortable feel. 

He silently wonders if he will be given a separate bedroom, a part of him is disappointed at the thought but certainly he would understand. His ear twitches as she continues her discussion of the merits of various bathing suit materials. He frowns then growls low trying not to lose his patience at the absurd conversation.

“Entrapta, we are not here on pleasure, and besides that it is night, the water will be cold!” His ears twitch indignantly before pinning against his head in displeasure at the thought of swimming in icy cold water, despite the season he knows from reports that the mountain city of Dryl gets quite cold at night and is not about to freeze in the chilly night air, and certainly not in some ridiculous Etherian water garb!

Entrapts just smiles and shakes her head, “Nooooooo we are not swimming in cold water, Dryl has hot springs, they are not only pleasantly warm for your muscles, but also have medicinal properties for your skin. You’ll see it will be fun!” She pokes him lightly with a tendril of hair as she continues. 

“This portion of the castle is built into the mountain and my rooms have a hot spring just that way.” She gestures wildly towards a set of heavy doors just to the right and shoves a bag into his hands before using her hair to push him into her bedroom on the left to change. 

Her tendrils fly to disassemble his armor as he grunts in disapproval, Hordak had no plans to remove any of it this far from the Fright Zone, but knows his protests will fall on deaf ears at this point. To help placate him he watches as she bolts the entrance of her rooms closed. Once she finishes removing the armor, she gestures for him to head over to the adjacent washroom to try on his, bathing suit as she had called it. 

Several moments later Hordak’s ears flush and lower as he regards himself in the mirror, he is grateful that they will be using a hot spring that is located within Entrapta’s rooms and not near any prying eyes. Turning, he looks critically at the suit, it is two pieces, the top being black covering most of his chest and neck, with a tie behind his neck and another just below his shoulder blades. The lack of anything covering his stomach feels different, and the bottom of this suit resemble black Etherian undergarments more than he would like. Silently he walks softly back into the bedroom and hopes Entrapta likes what she sees. 

Entrapta whistles appreciatively as she takes him in with her eyes, she motions with a tendril of hair for him to turn a circle. After a moment he sighs in defeat and does as she asks, his ears low and twitching the whole time. Her large smile is enough to indicate she find his look acceptable. Quickly she grabs some purple material and heads to the washroom herself to change. 

When she emerges, he flushes a dusky purple as he lays eyes on her outfit. The Princess is wearing a dark purple halter top and small pair of shorts that leave little to the imagination and cause heat to curl in his abdomen. She smiles, and gestures for him to follow as she picks up two towels and heads toward the hot springs room located on the left side of her chambers. 

As they open the doors Hordak’s nose catches the faint smell of minerals, the walls are roughhewn stone, heavy with dew, but what really catches his attention is the large pool of water with steam rising off it in the middle of the large room. Candles have been lit strategically all along the walls on carved rock shelves and give the room a cozy feel. He slowly dips one foot and then the other cautiously in the water, testing its temperature. 

Hordak finally settles up to his chest in the water and finds a rock shelf to settle against on the side of the pool. He watches as Entrapta bites her lip, looking at him with a soft smile before quickly pushing off the side of the room and splashing into the water. He laughs as she swims towards him shaking water from his eyes while she settles beside him. 

The two sit in silence for some time enjoying each other’s company, relaxing in the heated water. Hordak groans at the feeling of heat seeping into his aching tired muscles and is glad she suggested this, it might very well be worth having to listen to another game of that dreaded “I SPY” that she and Scorpia are so fond of playing when they head home. 

Entrapta comes closer, placing her hand on his cheek to pull his face towards hers. She crushes their lips together and lets a small gasp escape when Hordak growls and swiftly picks her up, depositing her in his lap. He nuzzles the skin of her neck and lightly nips with his teeth, savoring each little puff of air she releases. His claws lazily card through her long locks as he continues to kiss and bite her neck in earnest.

Entrapta smirks while wrapping her hands around his shoulders, kissing his lower ear lobe gently before licking up to the tip. She knows his ears and neck are especially responsive to her tongue and takes full advantage of the fact, smirking as he whimpers softly. It’s nice to be home, but even nicer to finally have someone to share her home with. 

She moans and bucks into his hips, at an especially hard bite to her collar bone, feeling him push back and growl, his red eyes narrow slits. “You know, we could move this to the bedroom……” She holds up a hand wiggling her wrinkled digits close to his face, “My hands are beginning to prune, probably time to leave the water.” 

Hordak takes the hint and reaches over with a long arm to grab their towels, raising himself first and then Entrapta gently from the water to dry. He motions for her to turn so he can begin to towel off her long hair, and is happy to find it mostly dry with only a few tendrils to towel off. 

Entrapta shrugs and smiles at him, she wiggles a tendril close to his face and laughs when he simply smiles and shakes his head. He chooses to gently dry her back instead and quickly wraps the remaining towel around his waist before she opens the door. 

Quietly she leads them towards the bedroom a wicked smile playing on her lips as a plan comes to mind that she has been waiting to use. It’s not often that she can convince Hordak to relax, and she plans to take full advantage of the situation. 

Once they are settled and free of their wet clothing and any traces of the mineral bath Entrapta grabs Hordak around the waist with her hair to deposit his naked form gently on her bed. His eyes widen as she slowly walks towards him, her crimson eyes hooded with lust, and more than a bit of sway to her hips. 

She bites her lips as Hordak settles under the covers and raises them for her to join him, she hums appreciatively at the warmth of his body coming close to kiss him. She deftly bits his lip then reaches up craning her neck to whisper in his ear. “You know…… you never did punish me for entering your lab without permission……” 

He looks down quickly, grinning as he sees the playful glint to her eyes, and the subtle way she is pressing her thighs together. “Yes…. I believe you should be punished for your flagrant breach of conduct.” He hisses the words as his eyes narrow, doing his best to look displeased. 

His tone is deep, dangerously quiet, and full of want “You should be forced to do some manual labor to atone for your poor behavior, my pretty princess.” He practically hisses the last word as he moves quickly. 

Deftly he winds her hair around his large hand while using the other to press on her shoulder, pushing her towards his waiting hard member beneath the covers. She bits her lip and smirks before taking the head of him into her mouth, swirling her tongue over him. He hisses in pleasure and has to stifle a loud moan, his hips ache to rock his member further into her warm mouth, but he settles for a small jerking movement. 

Entrapta hums reproachfully as she slides more of him into her mouth, while wrapping her hand around the base to start pumping him. Lightly she lets her tongue play over the head of his member and down the sides before finding her rhythm, hollowing her cheeks, and sucking as she listens to him groan. Carefully he unwinds her hair from his hands so he does not pull. Not trusting his talons any longer. 

He is so lost in the sensation of her mouth on his member and the rapidly coiling heat in his belly that he does not notice his claws renting the pillow he clutches overhead. A blush steals across his face as his ears burn and lower when the pillow rips and feathers spill out around them. 

Entrapta snorts and laughs a moment at his confused expression, before she leans forward and pulls the offending item from his grasp. She straddles him, lining him up with her entrance before sheathing him fully in her. She places his hands on her breasts mumbling “I trust you’ll be more careful with these in your grip.”

Hordak groans and bucks his hips up into her lightly as his hands curl around each perfectly firm perky breast. He nods at her instructions and deftly draws a claw in small circles around her nipples, watching in fascination as they harden. Looking up into her eyes he waits until she nods her consent for him to begin moving. It’s not often she’s this eager to get to the main event, and he wishes to make sure she is properly prepared. 

Growling Hordak moves his hands from breasts to hips to gain more purchase, he thrusts up into her with abandon and is rewarded with her loud moans as she rubs her clit. The sight is enough to make him want to spill into her, but he pushes the feeling away, he can wait, he wants her pleasure to come first. 

Entrapta leans forward and turns pulling his body on top of her without breaking their contact, she moans as Hordak with gleaming red eyes and glowing fanged grin looms over her in the dark, giving him a completely predatory look. He presses close to bite lightly at her neck and knead her breasts as he thrusts harder into her. 

She whines and bites her lip as the heat begins to rise in her lower abdomen, their pace becomes erratic as each come close to the edge, chasing their pleasure to completion. He shouts as Entrapta moans loudly, her orgasm causing her to grip him tightly triggering him to release as well. Panting he rolls on his side and gently cups her face in his claws kissing her gently. 

Entrapta rests her head on his chest and gradually falls asleep listening to the steady rhythm of his heart as it quiets from their lovemaking. She is so tired she almost misses his chirp of contentment as he settles back onto the undamaged pillow to sleep. 

A few hours later Hordak untangles himself from the long purple locks of his princess and grabs a large soft black robe that has clearly been left for him on a wall hook. He walks softly into the lab adjoining Entrapta’s rooms and smiles at the site before him. There are numerous robots, countless parts, and many unfinished projects lying about. Many of these looked quite advanced by Etherian standards and he is again taken back at how resourceful and smart Entrapta really is. 

Although it is early, he notices that two trays of fruit and tiny cut toast slices with jam have been left out on a table beside what appears to be Entrapta’s work station. He hums in appreciation and grabs the larger bowl of fruit not cut into little flower designs, then heads over to the comfy looking recliner with a large bookshelf beside it. Spying a book on the history of Dryl, he sits to read and pass the time until Entrapta can catch up on her excessive eight hours a day of sleep. 

He finds himself so fascinated with the well documented history of the kingdom, and is so engrossed in a passage regarding the discovery of crystal grottos deep within the mines that he actually startles when Entrapta plops down suddenly in his lap. 

His soft smile returns quickly as he eyes the tousled hair of the princess, never a true morning person it often takes her a good while to get going. Today is no exception as she rests against him while munching quietly on delicate star shaped buttered toast squares. 

She reaches for her tiny bowl of flower shaped fruit slices offering Hordak one, he silently shakes his head pointing to the much larger and very empty bowl sitting on the small side table where the book he was reading now rests as well. She nods and smiles before returning to her own food. 

Hordak is loath to move, and would rather just enjoy her company, but he knows they have a private meeting with her head minder before heading down to meet the troops and refuses to be caught in what is clearly a night robe in front of anyone besides her. 

He emerges from their bedroom and back into the lab a few minutes later as Entrapta is sitting her bowl aside, she yawns and helps assemble his armor in place before heading back into their rooms to grab something more dignified than the plum colored tank top and black shorts she had hurriedly dressed in upon waking. Hordak pretends not to ogle her backside as she walks away while he clasps his cape in place, looking for a mirror to comb his hair. 

Entrapta comes up behind him a few minutes later fully dressed in her normal clothing and sighs, quietly without comment Hordak grabs a chair and sits her in front of him, then begins working to detangle her long hair as has become their morning ritual back home. 

“I miss Imp and Emily, we should have brought them, Imp didn’t seem very happy with being left behind, and I bet Emily is so lonely without me!” Entrapta pouts. 

Hordak rolls his eyes and laughs quietly as he works, “You know that someone trustworthy had to stay behind and guard the lab, Imp will alert us if anyone tries to enter, and Emily was needed as backup in case Imp has cause to deny entry.” He shakes his head at her still clouded expression as he finishes his work with her hair. 

She stands just as a purposeful knock sounds on the exterior door of her chambers causing them both to start a bit. Her hair stretches to unlock and open the door as she sits in the chair opposite Hordak, both had been so absorbed in each other they had forgotten the head miner would be coming soon. 

Elton walks softly into the room, his is a broad man, with brown hair, tanned skin and a large handlebar mustache that gives him a decidedly smart look. He appears to be around his forties with touches of grey at his temples. He looks rather formidable with wide shoulders, and strong arms, the outfit he wears is not too different in style from Entrapta herself. He sports a dark blue jacket, green shirt and dark blue coveralls with sturdy black boots. 

His eyes linger over the warlord for a moment but wisely to do tarry, he clears his throat and gives both his Princess and the Lord a quick bow of the head before speaking, “ My Lady as instructed we halted all work on the opal vein in sector 7-2B the minute my men discovered what appears to be tech from the First ones imbedded in the opal vein.” 

Slowly and under the watchful gaze of Hordak who distrusts everyone he carefully reaches into his pocket, and pulls out a cloth wrapped item no bigger than his large palm. Gingerly he unwraps the item and comes forward to present it to Entrapta, she quickly takes it from him and holds it to the light. Revealing a diamond shaped green crystal that seems to emit a soft light. 

“ Ohhhhh, this is definitely a First One’s power crystal! Good work Elton, this is so faaaacinating… we have never discovered any power crystals actually embedded in the mines, what an odd place for them.” Carefully she tucks it away for further observation or use. 

Elton nods absentmindedly frowning, “Yes, all the other crystals like this one were uncovered in sectors A12 through C4 where there are confirmed crystal grottos. It’s rather rare for them to be in this area, readings from our sensors indicate that a crystal grotto may be nearby as well, or it could simply be another void formation….. more research will be needed before I can tell you for sure.” 

He plops a map on the table for his lady indicating the exact area that the possible crystal grotto readings came from and also the opal vein that she will be working on to extract the crystals. “Will you be wanting my assistance with retrieval of the stones today or…….” His eyes shift ever so slightly to Hordak, and specifically he eyes the lord’s talons. 

Hordak stares back, expecting to see displeasure or disgust but is surprised to find nothing but a small smile and kind eyes. It takes him by surprise, but he manages to keep his face neutral, although he feels one ear flick in curiosity. He watches as Entrapta dismisses the man politely before she picks up the map to study.

“I believe we have sufficient data and labor for the mission already, thank you for your efforts, have your comm handy just in case we encounter difficulty today.” Entrapta smiles as Elton turns and leaves.

“Are all of your people like that?” Hordak questions Entrapta as he stares at the closed door, he had been quite practical and showed little fear in front of the warlord, he found it refreshing since the man had clearly still shown him proper respect. 

Entrapta shrugs and smiles softly at his quizzical expression, “you’ll find that most of the inhabitants of Dryl just want to be left to our own devices and interest. We are a kingdom of makers, scientist, and thinkers, we mostly just want to be left alone to peruse our interest.” She rises and begins walking towards the door so they can meet troops in the courtyard. 

Hordak follows, his thoughts focused on the miner he had just met, if more of the residents of Dryl prove to be like this man, then maybe one day, when Etheria has been taken and Prime allows him to rule the planet, this could be a base of operations. He cannot help but notice Entrapta seems to have a bounce in her step while here, and he find that pleasurable to him for some reason. Placing these thoughts aside he surveys the assembled troops swiftly giving orders. 

As the troops scurry to obey Hordak’s orders along with their Force Captains Entrapta gathers a padded bag, small hand tools for excavating and cloth padding from a nearby servant. By the time she turns around each group of soldiers has marched away to take up stations on the ramparts of the castle, the main gates of the kingdom, and the 2 main entrances of the mines. 

Entrapta tried to hide her smile as she regards Hordak who is walking purposefully towards the entrance of the mind shaft that will lead them to the opal vein in questions. It is clear to her that he is eager to be away from all of the eyes of her staff and his soldiers so they can get some alone time in. 

Once in the well-lit shaft, Entrapta takes the lead using Elton’s very detailed map to negotiate which tunnels to take. She giggles quietly as Hordak walks closer to her now that they have rounded the first bend and are in private. His shoulders and posture relax as he looks around, his ears twitching in various directions curiously. 

Several twists and turns later they are finally at the fresh excavation site of the opal vein the miner map indicated had first one tech buried within. Entrapta holds up a scanner with her hair, tools at the ready in her hands when it beeps. 

Carefully she begins chiseling away at the soft gemstone until another stone like the one Elton gave her comes loose. Its only difference is that it has an orange colors instead of green. She continues using her scanner and tools slowly, and is able to unearth 2 more green and 1 yellow stones with some effort. 

The scanner still indicates that in the center of the opal vein there is one more crystal, Entrapta rolls her shoulders easing the aching muscles in them and tries to dispel tension before excavating again. Hordak watches a moment and steps forward holding his hand out for the tools. She sighs nodding her head in thanks and hands them over, moving to sit by the bag that he has already carefully wrapped the other stones in. 

Hordak copies the careful slow movements that he has seen Entrapta use as he gets closer to the power gem. He notices that this one is not the same color as the others, it appears to be a darker pink, and it glows brighter than the others. Once most of the stone is exposed, he tosses the tools to Entrapta who catches them deftly in her hair, with a questioning look in her eyes. 

Hordak simply smiles and wiggles his digits. Entrapta giggles understanding him, the opal vein is relatively loose around this stone, so he pries it carefully from its resting place with his long sharp talons. The stone with some tugging comes free. He holds it up curious and find Entrapta has risen to her feet too.  
He holds the stone out so they can both look at it, while it is the same shape and size as the other crystals, this one is indeed a dark pink almost fuchsia in color and glows brilliantly. Hordak cocks his head, the other stones had tingled slightly in his hands, but he paid the sensation little mind. This one was different; it gave off a stronger sensation and seemed to radiate a pleasant low amount of warmth. 

“What do you know about these crystals, and what do you use them for?” Hordak asks quietly as he hands it over to Entrapta to wrap and place with the others for safekeeping. 

Entrapta grins, excitedly her hair frizzes out as she speaks, “ Ohhh there is so much we can do with the energy crystals here !” Her hands raise and clutch at the air, hair animated in many directions as she continues, “ They are a near exhaustless power source, I use them in the castle to power a few components, but mainly we use them in the larger mining operations to power our drills, or send them to my lab in the Fright Zone for experimentation with ordinance.” 

Hordak nods smiling, yes this had been worth the trip, acquiring so many power crystals for the Hoard would certainly go a long way in getting a leg up on the damn rebel forces of the pathetic princess alliance. He turns to leave, Entrapta beside him. They fall into a comfortable silence, for once enjoying that no one needs their attention and they can simply be together. 

Her hair brushes his shoulder and he turns to see what she wants, her voice falters when the ground starts to tremble beneath them. At first it is barely noticeable, a quite rumble in the distance, but quickly loose pebbles on the trail begin to shake and rocks from overhead start to fall. 

Entrapta yells in alarm clutching the bag to her chest and using a tendril of hair to flip down her visor as Hordak springs into action, he grabs her and swiftly pushes Entrapta into his chest, bowing his body around her under and pressing her into a rock shelf in the wall. He hisses in pain as a rather large rock hits his exposed arm and leaves a sizeable dent in his armor. 

“HORDAK!”, she cries as she sees the damage, looking frantically all around for somewhere more suitable to outlast the earth quake knowing their current situation is less than ideal. She shouts triumphantly when she spots a large opening in the wall and grabs Hordak in her hair sprinting for it. 

Hordak growls trying to push her back into the thin rock wall they are sheltering under but she is having none of it. Entrapta’s hair wraps around his waist half dragging him with her into the dark void that has opened in the wall across from them. Once his sharp eyes realize it opens into a cavern he stops struggling and moves closer to her side, worried about what might be in front, and knowing his eyes are much better at seeing in the dark, and his sharp talons can deal with any creatures lurking within. 

The passage widens and the sound of the earthquake falls away as they go deeper into the cavern, Hordak reaches back taking Entrapta’s hand, he knows she likes to stop and study everything but now is not the time to get separated. The cavern begins to glow faintly and they step into a large opening of glowing crystals. 

The crystals are in various shades and stages of growth, most over 3 to 4 feet tall and giving off light. As they enter the room, Entrapta breathes a sigh of relief, turning to inspect the damage to his armor. Hordak tries to push her away until he can assess the room for safety hazards, but her mouth is set in a firm line he knows to well that leaves no room for any argument. 

He nods in defeat and stands still as her hair full of tools reaches out to disassemble the arm as much as possible around the damage, checking the tissues underneath. Hordak hisses as he feels a stinging on his cheek, and notices that Entrapta has an alcohol wipe out dabbing it on a cut he had not taken notice of in the chaos above. 

His ears lower and turn a bit blue at all the attention he Is receiving, still unaccustomed to having anyone that cares enough to tend his injuries. A few moments later Entrapta begins putting the pieces back in place on his damaged armor, satisfied that the limb beneath has sustained bruising only and no lasting damage to the muscle or bone. She withdraws and looks down, not meeting his gaze. 

Hordak cocks his head questioningly at her, it is unlike Entrapta to be so silent, slowly he cups her chin and raises her eyes to meet him. He sucks in a breath his ears twitching forward in alarm as he sees her eyes shimmering with unshed tears before she pulls her head from his hand. Looking back to the ground sadly. 

“Entrapta! Are you injured from the quake?” His growls in annoyance when she remains silent and turns from him, crossing her arms over her chest and making herself small. He hates to see her draw inwards and eyes her warily. Silently trying to check her body over for any damaged clothing or other indications of trauma. 

“You cannot risk your health for me, I should have thought to bring more protective gear or something that might have helped keep you from sustaining damage on my behalf.” She gestures to his cheek and shoulder before rubbing at her eyes angrily “Besides whoever designed that bulky armor didn’t know a thing about lightweight alloy metals that would enhance your strength and dexterity!” 

Hordak relaxes visibly once she begins speaking again, for a moment he worried that he had failed in trying to shield her body from the rocks. He chuckles darkly before speaking, “Well princess, you certainly seem to have ideas on what my armor needs, but do you have the parts to create what you describe?” He does not bother to tell her that he was the designer of his armor, or that when he fell through the portal to Etheria it was considered cutting edge. 

She slowly nods deep in thought as she looks around the grotto, “I just need a strong enough power source to keep the suit working, everything so far just falls short on realistic timelines and has higher volatility that I would like.” 

Once the rumbling stops Hordak keys up his comm calling for Scorpia since her soldiers were in charge of guarding mine entrances. Her voice sounds staticky and far away, but she reassures them that Elton and his best mining team are working to clear the shaft of all debris and estimate their time to reach them at about 3 to 4 hours unless more tremors happen.  
Hordak breathes a sigh of relief, neither of them had brought food, and he knew Entrapta with her Etherian biology had to eat at least 2, optimally 3 times a day or there would be consequences. That time frame was acceptable, they could work with it. Slowly he walks over to Entrapta and puts a hand on her shoulder. 

Entrapta does not pull away when he touches her, instead she turns and wraps her arms around his waist her hair reaching up to his neck and shoulders embracing him fully. He closes his eyes a moment and just breaths in her scent, glad that she was not hurt in the deadly rock fall. Etherians are so fragile, he fully realizes that if the rock that hit his shoulder had hit her in the head, well….. its something he does not want to dwell on. 

He clears his throat and looks around the room, struck by the beauty of the many crystals that are glowing, creating a beautiful sight. “Entrapta, the book I was reading this morning in your lab mentioned these…. grottos… I believe was the word used to describe them. What is their purpose?” 

She hums contentedly before pulling away looks around the room as she answers him. “The mines of Dryl sometimes crack open these crystal grottos, they were nurseries for the first one’s power crystals. I have been mapping their locations and keeping them intact with hopes of one day studying enough of the finished power crystals to actually re-create them with the raw crystals we see before us.” 

Hordak nods reaching out to touch the closest crystal, a bright orange one, near him and hisses as a painful jolt shoots up his arm. He jerks his hand back as his ears flatten against his head. “They seem to have plenty of energy stored within!” 

Entrapta smiles her hair pulling him along, “Oh don’t take it personally, the orange stones don’t mesh well with anything organic, but the green and yellow ones, they are great at powering everything not picky at all. Orange stones have to be hooked to something really big otherwise they have a tendency to blow up.” Self-consciously she rubs a scar on her shoulder that is thin and red, indicating that at one time it had been quite a deep wound.  
Hordak remembers the feeling of the deep fuchsia that he had excavated himself, “What about the pink stone? What do you use its kind for?” As he speaks, he walks among the crystals, towards the back, something fuchsia and glowing brightly catches his eye, it’s a crystal the same color as the stone that felt so warm and pleasant to him earlier. 

Entrapta spots it the same time as he reaches for it, “ Be careful, keep contact minimal with that one, its not a very common color, in fact the stone you recovered is the only one I have that is made of this kind of crystal, we aren’t sure how much energy or even what kind it stores so go slow and steady.” Entrapta watches as Hordak moves closer, her hair tendrils at the ready to pull him back if the crystal reacts to him negatively. 

Hordak narrows his eyes as he reaches just the tips of his long talons towards the crystal, steeling his resolve, he presses forward and connects with it. Instantly a light tingling sensation followed by a warmth spread upwards from his fingers and towards his chest. He gasps in surprise and has to hold up his other hand to keep Entrapta from flinging him away from the thing. 

The feeling is anything but unpleasant and he begins to feel muscles unwind from the energy emitted by the crystal. Hordak places his palm firmly against the crystal waiting to see if the feeling became unpleasant but instead it remained a constant. 

Entrapta cocks her head and watches with interest, “Hordak, what do you feel???”

He frowns taking time to really think about the sensation before responding, “It’s warm, but not unpleasant, more contact does not make the feeling change in any way. There is some tingling and warmth as if an electrical current, but it is not invasive in the least. It’s actually helping ease pain.” 

His ears tilt back in embarrassment as he mentions that last bit, it had been entirely unintentional. There was no reason to draw unwanted attention to his condition, it was after all the failing that had brought shame on him when noticed by Prime. The last thing he wanted was for Entrapta to also lose interest because of his defect. 

Hordak is stirred from his thoughts by a sudden movement he catches with his peripheral vision. He turns his head and watches as Entrapta crosses her arms over her chest and rubs her hands down her arms, clearly shivering. It will still be several hours until the mining crew can properly excavate the shaft outside of the grotto. Moving purposefully, he grabs Entrapta and pulls her against his chest wrapping his cloak tightly around them both to try and conserve as much warmth as possible. 

Entrapta laughs quietly at his protectiveness, but its quickly replaced with the chattering of her teeth. “Thanks, lab partner, mind if I wrap my hair around us for an extra layer of warmth? These grottos are especially cold, and I didn’t exactly intend to be down here in the mines this long or I might have worn something a bit thicker.” 

Hordak nods in understanding as he leans against the wall, he tries hard not to think to about her body wrapped so tightly against his, its simply not the place to deal with those urges. As her hair settles around them, he chirps in surprise at how warm it really is. Gradually her teeth stop chattering in his embrace and she rests against his strong frame. 

Entrapta had really just begun to doze when the first sounds from the mining crew can be heard coming from the main shaft, filtering into the grotto. Hordak is loath to unwrap her from his cloak, his instincts are screaming at him to just pick the small woman up and carry her back to the castle himself. Reluctantly he shakes her awake and pulls back, keeping a hand on her shoulder to steady the sleepy princess. 

Elton himself appears face smudges with grime, a hard had with a light on his head and large pick ax in his hand. He visibly sags in relief when he spots Entrapta and the warlord. He wastes no time in heading over to them holding out bottles of water which they each accept happily. “ We hoped you were unhurt Princess, those rock falls can be deadly without protection.” Elton trails off as he gives Hordak and knowing smile, eyeing the dent in the alien’s armor. 

Elton glances around the room as they drink, his eyes widening as they spot the large pink crystal in the center of the grotto. He whistles appreciatively and smiles at Entrapta, “Guess we will document this one for further studies my lady?” 

Silently Entrapta nods, too cold and tired to even really properly get excited about the discovery. Her hair remains limp and unmoving, and even her complexion has taken on a paler shade than normal. 

Hordak frowns at this, Entrapta is many things, but quiet and uninterested would never be used to describe her. His hands clench and unclench as he resists the urge to warm her with his cloak, he settles for retrieving the hard-won crystals they had excavated and walks carefully beside her, at the ready to grab her should she lose her footing. 

The rest of the mining crew cheers as Entrapta comes into view, Elton smiles at them all as he carefully leads the tired party from the mine and into the dying sunlight of the surface. Hordak’s troops led by Scorpia are ready with a salute as they appear. 

He works hard to hide a smile as Scorpia runs forward and grabs Entrapta in her large formidable arms squealing as she looks her over. Hordak shakes his head at the display, but internally he is quite jealous, he envies Scorpia the ability to reach out and touch Entrapta in such a way in public. He growls low in frustration. 

The large scorpion woman hurries the troops along sending scouts ahead to prepare food for them since it is obvious by now that another night’s stay will be necessary. The mountain roads that lead to Dryl are formidable by day, but at night are practically impossible to navigate safely. Hordak cannot find it in him to be displeased about the situation, it means he can take the evening to properly care Entrapta and possibly make up for being unable to give her aid or protection in front of the others. 

Hordak barley hisses instructions to Scorpia and Catra knowing his Force Captains can manage to baby sit the troops and arrange morning transport back to the Fright Zone without his direct supervision. Entrapta is unusually silent, exhaustion plainly stamped on her face and limp hair. This causes him great distress, again he is taken aback by how much he had grown use to her normal loud noises and sudden movements. 

Using the lengthy stay in the grotto as reason enough Hordak untangles Entrapta from Scorpia’s clutches as soon as they reach the castle entrance. Carefully watching for any prying eyes, he leads the exhausted woman down the main hallway, after turning a corner he relents, grabbing her hand in his hand letting her take the lead in guiding them to their destination. 

Upon reaching Entrapta’s personal chambers Hordak carefully places the bag with the crystals on a table, then wastes no time stripping them of their dusty soiled clothing and bolting the door to her rooms shut. Hordak carries her to the hot springs room they had used the night before not worrying about the silly Etherian bathing suits. 

Entrapta barley has time to disassemble his armor as he slowly steps into the water, one hand under her knees, the other surrounding her shoulders pressing her closer to his chest. The warlord watches her closely and practically chiprs in relief as the moments tick by and he can see proper color return to her body and face. 

“Thanks, Hordak, I’ve never really had anyone to look after me the way you do.” Entrapta’s voice is small but slowly growing in strength as the water seems to bolster her spirits. She reaches up letting one of her hands rest against his cheek as she smiles at him, then closes her eyes in bliss and lets the warm water dispel the chill still lingering in her bones.  
Hordak’s hands tighten around her body as he smiles softly and watches Entrapta relax into his chest. He is content to let her remain in the warmth s long as she needs, still angry at the fact that he was able to do little to aid her earlier due to his position within the hoard. His instincts are still on high alert to watch for any sign of illness or change in demeanor that could indicate distress. 

Eventually she begins to stir, the prolonged exposure to the warm water beginning to become unpleasant as her body temperature climbs back up to its normal rate. She shifts and pushes herself up grabbing a towel to dry her body, but is stopped by Hordak who insists on doing the job himself. 

Hordak clears his throat grabbing the towel from her hands after deftly winding the remaining one around his waist securely. “You’ve been through enough today, let me help.” He frowns and barley swallows a growl as he says bitterly, “I couldn’t even walk you property to the castle, this is the least I can do.” His expression is pinched, clearly unhappy with the level of aid he could provide in public. 

Entrapta shakes her head, as she wraps the towel around her body after Hordak finishes. “We can’t help that your being leader of the Hoard makes it hard for us to show affection.” She simply shrugs, “I know how you feel and that is all that really matters. I care for you a great deal Hordak” She smiles and pulls him by the hand past the lab and to their bedroom. 

Hordak feels his ears droop and warm to a dusky purple as he looks anywhere but at this infuriating woman before him. She knows he is not good with feelings and even worse with expressing any sign of emotion besides anger vocally. Often, he must rely on small private gestures to really express any measure of affection at all. 

A loud squeal causes him to turn talons raised snarling, half expecting an assassin or assailant in the main lab with them. He is confused when all he sees are what appears to be one large and several small steaming bowls of soup setting on a table waiting for them. Closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose Hordak tries to gather what little of his frayed nerves remain to keep from shouting. 

Seeing Entrapta happily run to the bedroom to change into a dark purple fluffy robe then come back to eat makes the heart attack she almost gave him worth it, almost. He shakes his head but follows suit, heading to their room to put on a long black robe and join her at the table. The two set in comfortable silence until they are through with the meal. 

After their meal Entrapta’s large yawn reminds the warlord of her ordeal, he rises from his chair pulling her with him towards the bedroom. Ignoring her protests as she tries and fails to stop long enough to start her examination of the crystals that they excavated.  
“No, you are tired, your body needs rest and I assure you that the stones will be there for you to examine in the morning and in addition you have the whole trip back to the Fright Zone to study them. Tonight, you are doing nothing but laying in that bed” 

Entrapta smirks as she shuts the bedroom door behind them with her hair, then begins to peel off her robe slowly in a seductive manner. As Hordak open his mouth to firmly remind her again that he meant it when he said she needed rest, a tendril of hair wraps over his mouth. 

“If I recall you said I had to lay in this bed, but you didn’t say that I had to go to sleep immediately.” She practically purrs at him as she throws her robe to the floor completely bare, legs brazenly wide apart so he can get a full view of every inch of her. She bites her lip and begins rubbing her clit in slow lazy circles as she stares at him. 

Hordak whimpers softly, ears flick back as his eyes widen, he sheds his own clothing quickly, then lowers slowly to the bed and places himself between her legs. He grabs one olive toned leg in each large hand and pushes them up, bending at the knee then letting her legs press against his wide shoulders so his hands will be free for more serious work. 

He bows his head down to her center, pressing one large digit into her tight passage slowly as his blessedly long tongue flicks out to swirl around her nub, he smiles as she gasps and arches her back. His smile disappears quickly as his nose twitches growling once he smells the heady scent of her arousal. Hordak hisses at the feeling of heat pooling in his own belly and pulsing pleasurably towards his groin in response. He adds another digit and pumps steadily into her core, curling his fingers while using his wicked mouth to lap at her. 

He stops sucking and lapping in favor of nibbling carefully at her labia each time she seems to get too close to the edge, stilling his hand and tongue while doing so. He chuckles darkly as she lets out a tiny growl of frustration. Her hands reach for his hair to pull him closer. 

His smile is absolutely feral when her hair shoots out and grabs both of his arms pulling him up and forward towards her mouth for a long drawn out kiss. He places both hands on either side of her head to hold his weight as he lines himself up with her dripping entrance. Slowly, teasingly he pushes only the head in and watches as she bites her lip, trying to rock upward to coax him into pressing further into her. 

Hordak leans his head down and lets their lips crash together, his mouth parting as their tongues meet. He pushes his member firmly into her burying it to the hilt before beginning to move hard. Their mouths never leave each other as she screams in delight, his claws dig into the bed as he presses his hips harder into her, growling when her hands find purchase on his backside and squeeze hard.

Her legs curl around his powerful thighs as he continues to rut into her, determined to tire her enough that she will not move from this bed once she expends every drop of energy she has, so she will finally rest. He smirks as he moves, judging from her jerking movements and breathy moans his mission should be a success. 

She breaks away from his kiss throwing her head back in rapture while gasping at a particularly deep thrust, then leans forward and nibbles at his neck. Entrapta pulls him closer nuzzling his cheek gently before twisting his head to the side as she bites his ear lobe firmly before licking up to the point of his ear. She giggles as he whimpers, his thrusts still for a moment as he tries to reign himself back in order to draw himself back from the edge. 

Thankfully he resumes his attention of her core and moves even harder once he composes himself. Practically snarling with each thrust he calls out her name as he jerks and stills in her spilling his seed. Entrapta moans out his name and lets her nails dig into his shoulders as her orgasm shudders through her.

They break apart after a moment and lay back, both exhausted their chests heaving from exertion. Hordak is the first to move and pulls Entrapta up to his shoulder as he reaches down for the blankets to cover them. He then curls around her protectively, idly letting his claws play over her skin as her breathing returns to normal. They stay like for several minutes silently enjoying each other’s company. 

Entrapta groans as the trials of the day and their lovemaking catch up to her, she yawns and lets her eyes flutter closed as she drifts to sleep, curled into Hordak’s side feeling his long arm and just the traces of his talons ghosting possessively over her bare shoulders, humming in pleasure she lets her hair wrap around them both. 

Hordak stays awake just watching the tiny princess, he smiles softly as her breathing deepens and her body goes slack indicating deep sleep. He frowns as he thinks back to the rock slide and grips her a bit tighter, her fragile body is regrettable, but with the limited technology possessed by this planet there is little to do about it. Narrowing his eyes, he looks in the direction of the power crystals they obtained and grins slightly, perhaps if they keep exploring first one’s tech here, they will find something to reinforce and protect her fragile anatomy. 

Pushing the thoughts away as he tried to settle in and sleep, he groans as he flexes his muscles, feeling a knot in the arm that had been struck by the boulder in the mines. Entrapta whimpers in her sleep curling tighter into a ball at his side. He reaches out stroking her cheek reassuringly with the back of his hand trying to comfort her. As she uncurls and sighs in her sleep, he can’t help but smile, yes it was worth the pain to protect her. Tomorrow they will return to the Fright Zone and continue their research, but for now Hordak is content to let the rest of the world dissolve and just focus on the purple haired goddess before him.


End file.
